While people in Ireland ate turkey and cursed the cold weather, Jack McGarry spent his Christmas Day on the shores of Sydney at Bronte Beach.

In a sea of swimsuits and Santa hats, barbecues and music, Mr McGarry observed the popular beach has crept in as a new Christmas tradition for the Irish diaspora in Australia.  

“It was just mobbed with Irish people,” he told Newstalk. “Everyone you're bumping into was Irish, the whole place was just covered in people.  

“It was majority people on visas – there were lots of accents and GAA shorts flying around.  

“Literally everyone that I've been talking to out here that's Irish was heading to that beach that day.”  

Mr McGarry is just one of thousands of people who have emigrated in recent months. The Central Statistics Office reported last April that 64,000 had emigrated in the previous 12 months – the highest figure in recent years.  

This year, in particular, many young Irish people have jetted off to the likes of America, Australia and Canada, with many staying abroad for an unconventional Christmas.  

People celebrating Christmas from Bronte Beach, Sydney, Australia, 25/12/2023. Image: Jack McGarry

Originally from Leitrim, Mr McGarry moved to Sydney in June with his partner, Aoife. He is currently on a Working Holidays visa but expects to get a Temporary Skill Shortage visa soon to allow him to stay in the country longer.  

He and his girlfriend moved to Australia for the hotter weather, warmer beaches and better job opportunities as a pharmacist and mental health worker.  

Having only moved six months ago, he explained that the pair couldn’t afford flights home just yet and opted to celebrate Christmas in their new home – and it wasn’t without its hiccups.  

“We had a few friends over for Christmas Eve dinner, cooked a bit of food – but it was actually lashing raining,” he said.  

“It was a big storm rolling through, getting the tail end of that typhoon that hit Queensland.  

“I couldn't believe it. I called my parents on Christmas morning, and I just couldn’t believe it... after coming over to Australia and the first Christmas here, it’s absolutely raining.  

“We would’ve swum in the rain I suppose – thankfully it stayed nice and sunny.”  

From Mullingar to Melbourne

For Mr McGarry’s friend in Melbourne, Jack Kennedy, however, his first Christmas in Australia was a wet one.  

“It was lashing rain,” he said. “It was pretty much like Ireland, actually.  

“My friends all came over to my apartment to drink and watch Christmas movies.  

“We were planning on going to the beach, have a few drinks, bring a few sandwiches, so we had no food ready for the day – we ordered Domino’s actually, so it was pizza for Christmas dinner.”  

Despite the change of plans, Mr Kennedy said it was a “really nice” Christmas with a group of new friends who had also emigrated from around the world.  

“It was nice to try the different traditions they all have, the different foods they’d eat,” he said. “I just happened to make friends with people of loads of different nationalities.”  

Irish emigrants abroad

Mr Kennedy moved from Mullingar to Melbourne in February to see more of the world.   

He chose to stay in Melbourne over Christmas because of the cost, but also because he “still feels like he just got here”.  

Both Mr Kennedy and Mr McGarry agreed it was difficult to be away from family at Christmas, but there’s no shortage of Irish people in Australia.  

“When we first got here, Aoife and I decided to get a coffee,” Mr McGarry said. “And like four people in front of me had Irish names or GAA jerseys - it's just crazy that you come so far away and we’re all together by accident.”  

Mr Kennedy also said the unconventional Christmas was made easier by the fact his family were visiting for New Year’s Eve. 

The strangest part about Christmas in Australia, according to Mr Kennedy, was actually the lack of Christmas.  

“It doesn’t feel like Christmas at all here,” he said. “You're not hearing as many Christmas songs and everyone’s going to the beach.  

“It's hard to get into the Christmas spirit when you're walking around in a pair of shorts and it's 30 degrees.  

“You've got more shops and restaurants that are open – it was just business as usual.”  

Christmas in Florence

Despite the views from Bronte Beach, not every Irish emigrant is in Australia. Katie Gallagher from Longford moved to Padova in Italy to teach music in an English-speaking school.  

Along with the usual reasons for emigration, she moved to Italy in large part because it’s known to be very dog-friendly, which is perfect for her pet Albert.  

Albert was also the reason Ms Gallagher chose to stay in Italy over Christmas.  

“I could have gone home if I wanted to, but because it’s so expensive to get a pet carrier to bring the dog home, I wouldn't have been able to do it,” she said.

Instead, Ms Gallagher and Albert “splurged” on a train ticket to Florence – with blankets and treats for the dog – and spent the night in the city.  

Katie Gallagher, Longford, in Florence, Italy, with her dog Albert over Christmas, 25/12/2023. Image: Katie Gallagher

“I booked an Airbnb and I was worried there was going to be no grocery shops open, but everything was open,” Ms Gallagher said.  

“People go to restaurants, there were guided tours still happening, I just couldn't get over the amount of people that were out and about.  

“It was just crazy to wrap my head around because I'm so used to Longford... I don’t even think Dublin is like that.”

Ms Gallagher woke up early on Christmas Day to take in the city before the rush of tourists arrived.  

“I went to the Piazza di Michaelangelo, it sees over everything in Florence,” she said.  

“The weather was fabulous – not a cloud in the sky, no jackets on.  

“I always thought I wasn’t a sun person, but it makes all the difference, to not sit at home all day.”

Cocker spaniel Albert in Florence, Italy, over Christmas, 25/12/2023. Image: Katie Gallagher

She spent the day walking Albert around the city before having Carbonara for dinner as she’s not a fan of the traditional fish dinners served at Christmas in Italy.  

“I will admit now at the end of the day, I was getting a bit mopey in myself thinking it would be nice for someone else to be here,” she said. “But that’s life.

“A lot of my other friends who are abroad as well, we were all texting each other and checking in on each other and I just thought it was nice that there was a load of us in that same boat.”  

Like most who have left, Ms Gallagher isn’t sure when she’ll return to Ireland as she wants to give Italy “a good go”.  

“I was an assistant principal at home,” she explained. "I had a great wage, but I couldn’t keep any of it because of the cost of living.  

“It's like a rat race at home.”  

Her positive experience abroad, however, doesn’t mean she still doesn’t appreciate the weather updates her mother sends from home daily.